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"For nine years, Wal-Mart has fought to stave off a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company has long discriminated against its female workers in pay and promotions. So far it has avoided a trial on the merits of the issue."

Wal-Mart plaintiffs Betty Dukes, Patricia Surgenson, Stephanie Odle and Christine Kwapnoski, 09/24/03. (photo: Noah Berger/AP)

A Million Women vs. Wal-Mart

By The New York Times | Editorial

31 August 10

For nine years, Wal-Mart has fought to stave off a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company has long discriminated against its female workers in pay and promotions. So far it has avoided a trial on the merits of the issue. The battleground instead is whether the million or so women who have worked for Wal-Mart since 2001 really constitute a class, which the company vigorously disputes. In 2004, a federal district court judge said they did, and in April the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, ruling the case could proceed.

Now Wal-Mart has taken the class issue to the Supreme Court. It is probably a smart legal move, given the court's clear tendency to rule in favor of corporations, particularly when big classes or discrimination claims are involved. We hope the court resists the temptation to toss out the case, which would force women to file lawsuits one by one. Wal-Mart's employment practices deserve a full hearing.

Comments

+7 # Guest 2010-09-01 05:00

A Local business lost a suit about never promoting women to management positions. At that point the owners promoted several women and after a week found cause to fire them all. It became a warning that being promoted to management signalled a need to seek employement elsewhere.

+18 # Guest 2010-09-01 05:37

There goes the corporate excuses again. Wal-Mart is known as an unfair employer for years now. I don't shop there any longer because of their treatment of employees. These women should be paid the same as men. Aside from the fact that Wal-Mart is underpaying everyone, most employees are going to the county for food stamps and Medicaid benefits. All the while the CEOs are ranking in millions on the backs of these people as well as the people they deal with in China paying them pitence.

+9 # Guest 2010-09-01 06:59

For the very reasons you have given, I do not shop at wal-mart. It is despicable the way this corporation treats its employees. When employees are not given a living wage that business should be boycotted.

+17 # Guest 2010-09-01 05:49

Yes, it's time to test the Supremes again - and time to make Wal-Mart live up to its own hype about how much good it does in communities. We taxpayers are subsidizing the Walton empire because we have to cover what it will not. Shame in advance on any Supreme who votes against one million women who are underpaid while the Waltons keep getting fatter and richer, and while they continue to destroy smaller, more decent independents.!

+5 # Guest 2010-09-01 06:19

Several years in a row, the five "children" of Sam Walton ranked as the five richest people in America. When I graduated from college I was one of three who were up for a job as warehouse foreman in Brookhaven MS. Their main concern was that the 80 men in the warehouse (This was not a store; it was a million sq ft storage facility) would not take orders from a woman. They hired one of the other two men for that reason.

+1 # Guest 2010-09-01 09:32

Does anyone know Hannaford's employment policies? Walmart has always been the bad guy, and Hannaford's the squeaky clean organic image, but I hear Hannaford's isn't so good on women's issues either. Can anyone get some facts on this?

Thanks,

0 # Guest 2010-09-01 12:00

Does anyone have a why? It's clear why they pay low wages but why women less than men?

+1 # okie kid 2010-09-01 17:42

Quoting

Does anyone have a why? It's clear why they pay low wages but why women less than men?

1. They have been getting away with it for so long.

2. The Wally World management is a bunch of well-off bubbas who think men SHOULD make more than women. Their labor practices and litigation strategies are horrible! I don't shop there either because of their labor policies. When the butchers in a couple of stores tried to unionize several years ago, management did away with all butchers in all of their stores. Notice how you cannot get any meat in the cut you want? You take what is in the package and like it. Ever wonder what is in the meat they sell or where it comes from?

0 # Guest 2010-09-04 14:52

Ashame...they are based out of the south..probably a, 'Caveman mentality",...behind every successful man there is a woman, mate, etc. When Sam Walton was alive, he believed in selling products made in the USA...since he passed away, (may he rest in peace), his kids sell imported junk. Now Walmart is trying to be like Target? Never happen...Walmart has too many rude management people and customers...stress level is reduced at Target, though have had problems with some customer service people there as well...

0 # Guest 2010-09-05 03:22

Loss of rule of law has been slow but sure, and now is right where our villianaire rulers (the military/industrial/corporate/terrorism coup de etat crowd) want it - accomplished.

Recall when Legal Services was barred from bringing class actions? Recently, Denver's head litigator with the ACLU had one devil of a time getting a class certified - a class that would have been a given prior to the Bushwhacked years.

Folks, it's time to wake up, and recognize how serious all this is - we've had a coup - loss of rule of law, free press, meaningful education for all, non-frauded elections, enforcement of regulations on Wall Street, banks, environment, peace, prosperity for all, protection of poor, disabled, etc. etc. etc. Democracy's been thrown in the toilet, and the toilet's about to be flushed. And what do we have to save us? The villianaire's phoney baloney Tea Party!

Time to wake up, find some real leaders, and get to work to... UNDO THE COUP!

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